


The Code

by bunnysworld



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Era, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-11 12:26:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3327119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnysworld/pseuds/bunnysworld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>aka Percival figures it out</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Code

**Author's Note:**

> This is the very first fic I've ever written in Merlin fandom. Never thought they were still talking to me all these years later...
> 
> I doubt that this is beta'd

Sir Percival squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and tried to stiffle a yawn. It had been another long day on their campaign away from Camelot. And being in the saddle all day, staring at the butts of the King and his manservant....at the butts if the King’s and his manservant’s horses!!! could get tiring. 

He sighed deeply when Arthur and Merlin once again started their usual banter. He might not have been the quickest of the knights when it came to noticing _things_ but those two were just so obvious. 

Before Percival could once again think the same thoughts over and over again – most of them pathetic self-pity thoughts of how much he wanted someone to himself – Sir Gwaine pulled his horse alongside his, grinning his usually cheerful grin. “They’re at it again, aren’t they?”

Percival found himself nodding. “I just wonder how they can manage to constantly insult each other. Have you heard some of the things Merlin calls the King? Every single one of us would at least have been challenged to a fight if we dared calling him any of those names.”

Gwaine laughed. “You don’t get it, Percy, do you?”

“Get what?” Percival frowned, so focused on what ‘it’ was that he forgot to remind his friend that he didn’t like being called ‘Percy’.

“Listen to them closely. All those insults are just a code. They might call each other names, but they mean something completely different.” Gwaine smirked.

Both knights went quiet.

“ _Mer_ lin, you’re such a whimp!,” the King said in his usually annoyed and whiny tone of voice. 

“Clotpole!” Merlin shot back and his good mood even seemed to get better.

“Idiot!” Arthur grinned, his voice not as sharp as it should have been. 

“Dollop head!” Merlin almost chuckled.

“You’re the worst manservant ever!”

“Prat!”

 

Behind them Percival raised an eyebrow. They were used to Merlin talking back, but this must have been the most insults in the shortest time he’d ever had to witness. And the King didn’t even seem to mind! That had to be love!

Gwaine turned to Pervical. “Got it now?” When he saw the puzzled look on his friend’s face, he leaned over and whispered. “ _Mer_ lin means ‘I want you’, ‘whimp’ translates into ‘give it to me, hard’.”

Percival blinked and slowly caught up. “Clotpole means what I think it means?” He mirrored Gwaine’s grin.

Nodding, Gwaine went on, “If you think ‘I’m all hard for you already’, yes. ‘Idiot’ has various meanings, but I’d say this time he meant ‘So am I’, the ‘dollop head’ refers to something Merlin wants Arthur to do to him.”

Even though he blushed furiously, Percival couldn’t help grinning widely. He wouldn’t have minded the blond to give him some head, so he fully well understood the grin on Merlin’s face. But...”What about the ‘worst manservant ever’? He says that quite often lately.”

Gwaine shook his head in amusement. “Just like Merlin calls him ‘prat’ all the time? Simply means ‘I love you’.”

It all made sense to Percival now and he couldn’t help but laughing out loud when King Arthur raised an arm just then, stopped his horse and gave the order to set up camp for the night quickly.


End file.
